‘Destiny’ 2.0 Update Hits Weapons And Perks With Huge List Of Changes

The Destiny 2.0 update was released Tuesday to PlayStation and Xbox consoles by Bungie. As expected, it came with a tremendous number of changes to every weapon type and even individual weapons such as the Gjallarhorn and Thorn. How big were the buffs and nerfs? Let’s dive in and see the numbers.

Bungie patch notes for Destiny 2.0 are too massive to cover in a single article. For details on the other changes, please see the Character and Class changes or click through to Bungie’s website for the entire patch notes.

One of the top questions on the minds of Destiny players is the how big of a nerd did weapons like Gjallarhorn, Thorn, and The Last Word receive. Interestingly, the change to the Gjallarhorn only affects the Wolfpack Rounds, which have had their damage output dropped by one-third. That may be made up for slightly by the slightly increased blast radius from rocket launchers. However, the greatest nerf to the weapon may be the new Light level system that puts the Gjallarhorn’s attack rating at only 170, with no chance to move up to Year Two levels that go over 300.

Meanwhile, the Thorn and The Last Word receive a double dose of nerfs. For starters, the hand cannon weapon class has had its overall accuracy, range, and magazine size all reduced. On top of that, the Thorn’s Damage Over Time (DoT) perk has its damage reduced by one-third per shot, while The Last Word has further reductions to its range and stability.

Auto Rifles do look like they will be viable to use once again in both PvE and PvP. Base damage has been increased overall, while damage against AI opponents is increased by 30 percent. Stability and damage fall off have been reduced some to emphasize the class’ role as a short to mid-range weapon, but it’s a much needed improvement after being severely nerfed earlier this year.

One of the more surprising changes is the damage Shotguns do to AI opponents in PvE. Bungie has reduced this by 45 percent. I can only suspect that this is a correction to the 100 percent buff against AI enemies the weapon class received earlier this year. It was, perhaps, too powerful.

The Year One perks have been nerfed significantly as part of Bungie’s effort to normalize weapons for Destiny Year Two and give weapon classes distinct roles. Nearly every bonus perk has been reduced in some way. The developer set out to completely reset the existing PvP metagame, and the perk changes alone will do that.

You can check out the complete list of weapon changes in the Destiny 2.0 update below. Which ones do you like or dislike? Sound off in the comments.

Weapons

Auto Rifles

Base Damage increased across all archetypes

Damage Falloff now starts closer to the player to emphasize its role as a close range weapon